Disqualified for competing with an illegal bike for the UCI, and it is not the first time it has happened

The cyclist from the Continental Parkhotel Valkenburg team, Jan-Willem van Schip, is once again generating controversy due to his aggressive positions on the bike, which have resulted in a new disqualification in the Tour of Holland that has been taking place this week. The team, the cyclist, and his bike brand denounce a real persecution against a cyclist determined to push the regulations to the limit to achieve the best aerodynamics in the race.

UCI declares war on cyclist Jan-Willem van Schip's radical positions

This is not the first time that the Dutch cyclist, Jan-Willem van Schip, has made headlines for his radical positions. In 2022, when the UCI banned positions with the forearms supported on the central part of the handlebar, he tried to circumvent it with the curious handlebar from the Speeco brand with an extremely long, narrow extension and a long section intended to support the forearms, which was quickly vetoed by the UCI.

A few days ago, Van Schip was seen in the Tour of Holland with a radical position on his bike from the Tavelo brand that supplies his team, Parkhotel Valkenburg, which practically resulted in a time trial position.

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To achieve this position, Van Schip used an exaggeratedly small size for his 1.94 m height, having replaced the standard seatpost with one curved forward, a kilometric stem, the longest we have ever seen on a bike, and an extremely narrow handlebar that, as we said, placed him in a position similar to that used on a time trial bike.

Although the race officials present did not disqualify the Dutch cyclist in the first instance, the decision came directly from the UCI with the argument that the peculiar seatpost of his bike was not approved and did not correspond to the Tavelo model approved by the cycling's governing body. He was also fined 500 Swiss francs for violating equipment rules, which has outraged the cyclist, the team, and the bike brand Tavelo. Their director, Paul Tabak, quickly stated that all the bike's components are registered with the UCI and that Van Schip has been using them for several years.

Furthermore, they have written a letter to the UCI requesting explanations about the specific reasons for the disqualification, offering to show all the documentation of approval for the different bike components, although, for the moment, they have only received silence in response.